Some said swastikas and other vile Nazi regalia were on view at the event in aid of armed forces charities.

Stephen King of the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families Association (SAAFA) armed forces charity revealed visitors are encouraged not to wear such uniforms at the event.

He said: “We can’t actually ban people from wearing these outfits but it’s something we always discourage.

“Many people lost their lives in the Second World War and the last thing we’d want is for those people to be mocked or disrespected in any way.

“A lot of the shops in the village put up signs saying they won’t serve anyone wearing Nazi or SS uniforms.

“We also seek guidance from the police to make sure it is discouraged but unfortunately it isn’t something we have control over.

Harry Whitehead/Mercury Press

It's not Reich: Uniforms can be offensive

“We just urge people not to do it but unfortunately some people feel the need to wear such costumes.”

Signs at several shops and pubs in the village warned ‘No Nazi or SS uniforms or insignia allowed on these premises’.

Some visitors to the village, near Bradford, were seen wearing garments from SS uniforms - the Third Reich paramilitary organisation responsible for many of the atrocities against humanity in the Second World War.

Cafe owner Jill Ross revealed she put up a sign warning people not to enter in Nazi or SS costumes as many visitors were left offended at a previous event.

She said: “A couple of years ago we had people in SS and Nazi uniforms in the cafe and a lot of people were upset.

“We put the sign up as have many others in the streets around here asking for people to refrain from wearing these outfits.”

Another visitor, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s incredibly insensitive.

“There are people here today that were alive during the War and don’t want to remember such things.

“It’s highly offensive.”

The event attracts around 25,000 to 30,000 guests each year, with this year’s festival commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day landings.

Organisers admitted there is no law against wearing the uniforms, meaning it is ‘impossible’ to impose an outright ban at the two day event which was hoping to raise more than £25,000 for armed forces charities.